Wireless Communications

News about Wireless Communications, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 24, 2015

Case in which Santa Fe, NM, man Arthur Firstenberg sued neighbor, alleging that electromagnetic radiation from her use of cellphones and Wi-Fi connection damaged his health, illustrates sometimes fraught relationship between legal system and sound science; Firstenberg's allegations are not backed up by science but lawsuit has resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. MORE

Mar. 2, 2015

World's biggest mobile carriers and tech behemoths like Google and Facebook will meet to sign contracts and network at four-day Mobile World Congress in Barcelona; companies often tend to have uneasy relationships, relying on each other to give customers Internet access and online services while competing to be consumers' main provider of Internet on smartphones and mobile devices. MORE

Feb. 25, 2015

Steven Davidoff Solomon Deal Professor column examines tactics, both subtle and aggressive, used by Dish Network in its bid for wireless spectrum; notes that company stands to save some $3.25 billion by qualifying for 'very small business' discount, despite its $34 billion market value. MORE

Feb. 16, 2015

Giant telephone carriers are following lead of two small but increasingly successful start-ups, Republic Wireless and FreedomPop, which offer cheap cellphone service by relying on strategically placed Wi-Fi routers. MORE

Feb. 9, 2015

Report from office of Sen Edward J Markey of Massachusetts find that almost every passenger vehicle has weak security for its wireless systems. MORE

Feb. 3, 2015

Editorial criticizes Federal Trade Commission auction for wireless frequencies in which Dish Network could receive $3 billion in discounts on winning bids totaling about $13 billion; holds that auction is only the latest to make mockery of rules meant to help small, rural, female- and minority-owned businesses enter wireless business; calls on FCC and Congress to crack down on such abuses. MORE

Jan. 31, 2015

Federal Communications Commission releases results for auctions of licenses of AWS-3 spectrum airwaves showing that AT&T bid total of $18.2 billion, almost half of record $4.9 billion auction. MORE

Jan. 30, 2015

Jan. 22, 2015

Personal Tech Q&A on reverting to previous version of Android mobile operating system; creating hybrid wireless and wired home network; Tip of the Week keyboard shortcuts computer users can use instead of mouse. MORE

Jan. 22, 2015

Nick Bilton Disruptions column laments slow state of Wi-Fi service on airline flights; says cost of service has gone up while quality has gone down. MORE

Jan. 4, 2015

Editorial urges Federal Communications Commission to reject request by Marriott International and American Hotel and Lodging Assn to allow hotels to disable devices that allow guests to use cellular networks to connect to Internet; argues it is clearly attempt by hotels to compel guests to pay for access to wireless Internet service and will unacceptably limit customer choice. MORE

Dec. 18, 2014

Molly Wood Machine Learning column notes new entertainment options airlines are offering; says Gogo Air is in-flight Internet pioneer that furnishes both Wi-Fi and more entertainment options for many airlines. MORE

Dec. 11, 2014

Review committee grants unanimous approval to plan by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasi's administration to convert city's aging pay phones to Wi-Fi hot spots; decision clears way for the installation of thousands of Wi-Fi sites across city over next decade. MORE

Dec. 10, 2014

Editorial expresses support for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio administration's proposal, called LinkNYC, to set up Wi-Fi hot spots offering free high-speed Internet access at former pay phone kiosks across the city; urges administration to make sure that poorer neighborhoods have as much access as richer ones to these services. MORE

Dec. 4, 2014

Tensions between New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and city's comptroller Scott M Stringer heighten over proposal to replace city's public pay phones with Wi-Fi hot spots; Stringer asserts that de Blasio's plan will perpetuate digital class divide by providing faster service in more affluent neighborhoods; remarks are seen as stinging criticism for an administration that prides itself on being sensitive to inequality. MORE

Dec. 1, 2014

Editorial holds soaring bids in the Federal Communication Commission's auction of wireless frequencies present strong evidence that the telecommunications industry is thriving, despite widespread complaints about regulation; calls on government to continue its regulatory push and to act decisively to ensure that the spectrum is used efficiently. MORE

Nov. 24, 2014

Federal Communications Commission auction of airwaves for use in mobile broadband becomes biggest auction in agency's history, reaching more than $34 billion and far surpassing presale expectations; auction is signal that wireless companies expect demand for Internet access by smartphones to continue to soar. MORE

Nov. 18, 2014

New York City officials plan to transform public telephone booths into about 10,000 Wi-Fi hot spots across city; kiosks will provide free Internet access, free domestic calls using cellphones or built-in keypad, charging station for mobile devices and access to city services and directions; project, known as LinkNYC, was awarded to CityBridge consortium, and will be paid for by advertising revenues from kiosks’ digital displays. MORE

Oct. 29, 2014

Group of New York politicians is calling on Comcast to give free broadband to all city public housing residents and bolster other low-cost Internet offerings as a condition for its proposed $45 billion merger with Time Warner Cable. MORE

Oct. 9, 2014

Federal and state regulators state AT&T's wireless business will pay $105 million in penalties and refunds to consumers for unlawfully billing cellphone accounts, biggest fine yet for such practices. MORE

Oct. 2, 2014

Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and satellite provider Dish Network plan to bid in Federal Communications Commission's November auction of airwaves. MORE

Oct. 1, 2014

Federal Aviation Administration is requiring airlines to replace cockpit displays on Boeing's 737 and 777 jets--more than 1,300 airplanes--within next five years to avoid interference from Wi-Fi and cellular devices. MORE

Sep. 14, 2014

More high-speed 4G wireless connections are being offered in new vehicles, with Audi and GM currently offering the service; faster connections will improve sluggish in-dash services, increase speed of mapping and allow companies to track driver data and tweak vehicle software on the fly. MORE

Aug. 24, 2014

Nonprofit group Red Hook Initiative is creating powerful new wireless network in Red Hook, Brooklyn, remote area that was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy; objective is to create a network that residents can use whether or not Internet service is available. MORE

Jul. 19, 2014

Christopher Clarey On Golf column observes British Open, long a bastion of tradition, has made striking transition toward new technology in current tournament; notes addition of course-wide Wi-Fi, a new app, miles of fiber-optic cable and LED-display scoreboards. MORE

Jul. 9, 2014

Companies like Phone2Action and CrowdHall are providing services that were once the province of legislators and political parties. MORE

Jun. 30, 2014

Verizon Communications is preparing to move its corporate offices from downtown Manhattan, returning to former New York Telephone building near Times Square; company's diminished presence parallels the steady erosion of demand for its original business, providing telephone service over landlines; nearly all of Verizon's profits come from its cellular operations. MORE

Jun. 26, 2014

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey approves measure that will allow area airports to offer free Wi-Fi to travelers, bringing them into conformity with other airports worldwide; travelers will receive 30 minutes of free Wi-Fi, after which they can pay for additional access. MORE

Jun. 16, 2014

Public television officials warn that Federal Communications Commission's planned auction of wireless spectrum could leave parts of country without over-the-air access to public television; auction is intended to free airwaves for use by wireless broadband companies. MORE

Jun. 11, 2014

Federal Communications Commission officials say that chairman Tom Wheeler is planning to offer his fellow commissioners proposed regulatory change to promote Wi-Fi in schools; FCC is currently bound by rules governing a program that subsidizes installation of high-speed Internet connections at schools. MORE

Jun. 10, 2014

More airports in the United States are adopting free wi-fi, with internet seen as amenity; of nation’s 30 busiest airports, 12 offer all-free Internet, while a dozen others opt for a plan with some free access. MORE

Jun. 8, 2014

Stephanie Rosenbloom The Getaway column provides four rules for staying happily and safely connected to free Wi-Fi networks while traveling. MORE

May. 16, 2014

Federal Communications Commission adopts new rules governing coming auctions of airwaves for use in mobile broadband, and agency says it will set aside certain portions of the airwaves for purchase by smaller wireless companies. MORE

May. 15, 2014

Editorial supports Federal Communications Commission proposal to reserve some wireless frequencies for cellphone companies that do not control significant number of similar frequencies; notes policy will keep larger companies such as AT&T and Verizon from dominating airwaves; says proposal is reasonable one representing step toward preserving industry competition; warns, however, that regulators must do much more to promote consumer choice. MORE

May. 6, 2014

More business travelers are welcoming Wi-Fi access while flying, despite spotty service; in-flight internet service should improve with time. MORE

Apr. 8, 2014

Comcast’s position that there will be no diminution of cable TV competition in its proposed takeover of Time Warner may be beside the point as Senate hearing approaches; regulators are as likely to focus as much on how merger will affect high-speed Internet market as how it will affect cable. MORE

Apr. 4, 2014

European lawmakers approve new rules aimed at guaranteeing equal access to the Internet and cutting cellphone charges across the 28-member European Union; legislation, which aims to create a single market for electronic communications across the bloc, still faces Parliamentary approval before it can become law. MORE

Apr. 1, 2014

Federal Communications Commission approves measures that will free up more airwaves for Wi-Fi and wireless broadband; also acts to help curb increasing cost of cable television rates. MORE

Mar. 28, 2014

Facebook announces creation of new lab of up to 50 aeronautics experts and space scientists to devise a way to provide web access from solar-powered drones or other 'connectivity aircraft.' MORE

Mar. 18, 2014

Apparent absence of any phone calls, texts, or social media posts from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 in an era of nearly ubiquitous mobile communications prompts considerable debate among pilots, telecommunications specialists and others; some theorize that aircraft was flying too high for use of personal electronic devices after it was diverted. MORE

Mar. 12, 2014

Masayoshi Son, founder of Japanese technology and telecommunications giant SoftBank, takes unusual tack in a rare address to an American audience, saying that he wants to rescue United States from its slow and expensive broadband; in speech at US Chamber of Commerce, argues that merger between Sprint, which he now controls, and T-Mobile will allow a price war on broadband that will bring down its cost. MORE

Feb. 20, 2014

By helping people bypass texting fees from mobile carriers, WhatsApp saved heavy users of texting a lot of money. MORE

Feb. 19, 2014

Inventor and entrepreneur Steve Perlman unveils Artemis pCell technology, proposed method of delivering high-speed mobile data using network of antennas; technology is one of many techniques that wireless carriers are looking at to address rising public appetite for mobile data, especially video. MORE

Jan. 29, 2014

Los Angeles broadcast television stations KLCS and KJLA will become first participants in pilot program meant to show that channels can be squeezed together in order to free up space on the electromagnetic spectrum; wireless companies are eager to purchase spectrum space for use in high-speed wireless Internet connections. MORE

Jan. 1, 2014

Editorial criticizes plan by Sprint to buy T-Mobile as a move that would reduce competition in an important industry that already has too little of it; urges antitrust regulators to look closely at any proposal that would reduce competition in the wireless business. MORE

Dec. 7, 2013

Federal Communications Commission delays its auction of broadcast airwaves to mid-2015, one year later than intended. MORE

Nov. 22, 2013

Federal Communications Commission will consider changing its rules to permit the use of cellphones and other wireless-data devices during airline flights, change that would be certain to delight some passengers and frustrate many others. MORE

Nov. 15, 2013

Federal Communications Commission releases its first smartphone app, free program that allows consumers to measure the broadband speed they are getting on their mobile devices and to determine whether it is as fast as wireless companies say. MORE

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